Internal-combustion engine.



0. C. HEARD.

INTERNAL COMBUSIlON ENGINE.

APPLICATION r|LEn1uNE19.|9|6.

1 ,270,245. Patented June 18, 1918.

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0. C. BEARD.

INTERNAL coMusloN ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9, I9I6.

1 ,270,245. Patented une 18, 1918l u Il SHEETS-SHEET 2. Il; 6 @y f 0.C'. BEARD.

INTERNAL coNusnoN ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED .IUNE I9. l9l6.

Patented June 18, 1918.

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0. C. BEARD.

INTERNAL coMusTlON ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. l9l6.

1,270,245. I Patented Juhe18,1918.

I I SHEETS-SHEET 4.

"lumu faz 0. C. BEAREL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION r||.D1uN|9.191e.

1,270,245. Patent-11111111618, 1918.

I I SHEETS-SHEET 5.

0. C. BEARD.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. 1916.

1,270,245. Panted June 18, 1918.

Il SHEETS-SHEET 6.

0. C. BEARU.

INTERNAL coMBusTloN ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED )UNE I9. 1916.

1,270,245 Patented J une 18, 1918.

I I SHEETS-SHEET 7.

0. C. BEARD.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. IsIs.

1 ,270,245 Patented June 18, 1918.

l I SHEETS-SHEET 8- 0. C. BEARD.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. I9I6- Patented June 18, 1918.

SHEET S ET 0J` J- f i 72 J J f dv ff' l I a i 0. C. BEARD.

INTERNAL coNsusnoN ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9.. I9I6. v 1,270,245, Patented J une 18, 1918 II SHEETS-SHEET I0.

o. c. BEARD.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.- 1

APPLICATION r|LE1 1uNE\9.191s.

1,270,245. y Patented Jun@ 18, 1918.

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UNITED STATES rAiIfENT` OFFICE. Y'

oscAn c. BEAM), or Los IANGaazLEs, oALIFonNIA, AssreNoR or ONE-FOURTH ToRICHARD RJBEAND, or UNION, wns'r VIRGINIA.

INTERN'AL-COMBUSTION" ENGINE.

, and useful" Improvement in Internal-Coml 'A Aset of pistons being usbustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to internal combustion engines-of the rotary ty eand has for a primary object the provision of such an engine having oneor more annular cylinders, which for the purposes which will hereinafterbe fully set forth, are preferably arranged about a common axis with thecenters of all of the cylinders radiating from a common point, thediameters of the several cylinders being slightly diferent, and aplurality of rotatable pistons being provided in' each of the cylinders.

Ay further object is to provide means whereby the gas which isintroduced into the cylinders prior to the explosions, may be compressedindependently of the power:

producing pistons and stored com-r lpressed state adjacent to thecylinders in readiness for use, a se arate cylinder and solely for thepurpose ofcompressing the gas, which cylinder. and pistons arev similarto the cylindersl in and the pistons on. which the force of theexploding gases is expended.

A further object is to provide means cutting the plane of they'cylinders lat right angles for successively opening and closlng .thecylinders one or more times at each revolution of the rotors so as tosubdivide the explosion or combustion cylinders into segmentalcombustion chambers, the cylinder closures forming'one of the ends ofeach of .thechambers and the pistons the other ends;

ythese closures serving practically as movable cylinder heads.

A further object is to provide one or more rotors for the pistons whichare capable 'of being driven by the pistons and are arranged internallyfor transmitting the power to a point or points exterior of the enginecasing.

A further object is to provide water cooling means for all portions ofthe engine casing which may becomeheated durlng the operation of theengine and means actuated by the rotors for causing the circulation ofthe water through the 'casing water jackets.

A further object is to provide means for Vautomatically and regularlyactuating the Sliecication of Letters Patent.

Application led Junel 19, 1916. Serial No. 104,527.

Athe cylinder head chambers.

Patented June 18,1918.

movable cylinder heads' at successive intervals \and internal gear drivemeans for transmitting motion to the driv' gears, all or most of theoperating partsldmy engine being submerged in oil, and thus wellubricated at all times. Other objects will appear as `the description ofmy invention progresses.

In the drawings, to which reference is had, several forms of device areshown in order that the fullfscope of my invention may be apparent tothose skilled in the art,

and though some of the modifications shown are radically different fromother forms, the same form .of cylinders are shown in each case, andalso the same principle is employed, except for minor changes which arenecessary to conform to changes in the operatifng means.

Similar characters of reference are used in the specifications and theseveral views of the drawings to indicatethe same or like parts, andreferring particularly to the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation ofmy engine partially broken away at points. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan ofthe same through Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of the water jacket andout et therefor on a plane at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is asectional elevation of the engine on a longitudinal plane through thecenter. Fig. 5 isa diagonal section of Fig. 1 through the: combustioncylinder gas intake, and Fig. 6 is a similar section through thesparkchamber thereof. Fig. 7 is a composite sectional elevation at rightangles to Fig. 4, the upper portion beingtaken on the line 7 f-, thelower section on the line 7 c, the right hand section on the line 7d d,and the left hand section on the line 7"--7b of Fig. 4and this -figurebeing otherwise broken away to illustrate certain other features.

Fig 8 is an enlarged plan, partly in section Fig. l0 is. a section onthe line 10-10 of l Fig. 5 Fig. y11 is a section on the line lx1- 11 ofFig. 5. v Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of the inside of the cylindershowin'gjthespark chamber and plug. Fig. 13 is a v1ew similar to Fig.`12 showing the compression cylinder gas intake. Fig. 14 is a section ofthe valve plugs typical of both the exhaust and intake valves. Fig. 15is a section through the exhaust ports showing the valve and plug. Fig.16 is an enlarged view'of the piston,

f 22-is a transverse sectlonal elevation, the

volving cylinder heads.

' elevation of the same. Fig. 21 is a sectional plan of Fig. 20, partlybroken away. Fig.

sections being taken` at Several dierent points. Fig. 23 is alongitudinal sectional l elevation. Fig. 24 is a longitudinal sectionlao of the cylinders and gas intake chambers. Fig. 25 is an enlargedsection ofthe spark plug and chamber for the form of'engine shown inFig. 20. Fig. 26 is a section of the valve chambers at right angles toFig. 24. Fig. 27 is a similar section ofthe exhaust chambers and valvesshown in Fig. 20. Fig.

' 28 is a section of the compuession chamber, cylinder and exhausttherior. Fig. 29 is an enlarged view of the piston for use in the formof engine shown in Fig. 2Q and Fig. 30 is an end view of the same. Figs.31, 32 and 33-are diagrams showing the didferent relations of themovable cylinder heads of i the revoluble type, partially open, fullyopen and entirelyclosed, respectively. p

Fig. 34 is a front elevation of means for oscillating instead ofrotating the cylinder heads and Fig. 35 is a section of the same.

Figs. 36 and 37 are diagrams of the 'heads in open and closed relations,respectively, and Figs: kv38 and 39 are sectional diagrams l, at rightangles to Figs. 36 and 37 showing ddl,

the heads in their open and closed relations, respectively.

The several modifications herein shown will serve to convey an accurateidea of the conception and scope of my invention relative to thepossible changes in the relation of the several cylinders and movableheads therefor without departing from the spirit of my inventien7 andlas the specication progresses other modifications may suggestthemselves to the reader, which while not specically mentionedherein,.wi1l be considered to be within the scope or my invention.

Briey described, my invention comprises a plurality of annularcylinders. arranged conveniently to regeive a'plurality ot' rotatablepistons which are attached suitably to rotors operatingat convenientpoints within' the engine housing, and each of the cylin- ,ders beingcut at diametrically `opposite points by va pair ofqmovable cylinderheads which are arranged to successively open and close the cylinders.The heads are opened to permit the passage of the pistons therethrough,and are closed immediately after the passage of the pistons so as toform a combustion chamber behind each of the pisders, the castings inwhich they' are formed are made insections and tightly bolted togetherandpacked in'any suitable'manner. Ordinary puppet valves are used forthe` Useveral cylinders and the valves are oper- L ated by the rotors,thusinsuring ositive valve action and reducing the friction to aminimum.

l will rst describe the form of engine shown' in Figs. 1 to 18inclusive. Nearly g5 all of the operating parts of the engine are'inclosed in'a suitable casing composed of the' end members 1 and 2 andthe central members 3 and 4, which are bolted together by means of theexternal bolts 5 and the n-V eo ternal bolts 6 and 7, a disk or ringvSbeing interposed between the members 3 and 4 for packing the casingbetween the two cylinders 9 and 10 which are formed in the casingmembers. The joints between the casing members are preferably on thecylinder center lines in order that the cylinders may be readily boredand finished to the desired size and suitable packing may be tightlyclamped between the adjacent members of the casing to prevent leakage.Water compartments 11, 12 and 13 are formed inthe casing between theouter and inner wallsand around the cylinders 9 and 10 for the purposeof coolingA thecylinder 105 i walls and these compartments communicateby means of the passages 14 betweenthe members 3 and 4, and 15between'the members 1 and ,3, and 2 Iand4, as shown'in Fig. 4. Thesewater passages extend through the tapered extensions/16 and 17 whichseat in tapered apertures in the adjacent casing members, and the jointsthus made may be packed by means of suitable packing rings 18, as shownin connection withthe extension 17. The water is admitted through ar.-neck 19 on the front end of the casing and is j discharged through anoutlet 20 -near 'the top of the front end. u

The inner portion of each of the cylinders `12o communicates with an4annular passagel which revolubly receives the-rims" 22 of the f rotors23, .corresponding grooves 24 being formed on both the inner and outersides of M the rims22 of the rotors and also `in the op- 125 positesidesof the passages 21 to receive the annular packing'rings 25 so as to packthe passages in which the rotors operate against the leakage of gas fromthe cylinders. The casing members 3 and 4 are provided .with 130recesses'to receive the webs 26 of the rotors 23 andy also slightlydeeper recesses to receive the relatively wider internal portions 27 ofthe rotors which are provided, with gear teeth' 28. At diametricallyopposite points about the axis the casing members 3 and 4 ,are providedvwith pockets 29 and 30,. these pockets being separated by the centraldisk 8, and pinions 31 and 31 are revolubly seated therein and mountedon the longitudinal I shafts 32 and 32 which are journaled in the walls33 and 33 of the pockets.

the shaft 32 and the inion 39 on theoppo- The ends 34 and 34 of themembers 1 and 2 have bearings 35 and 35", respectivelyin which 'thecentral longitudinally disposed shaft 36 is journaled, and the centralportion of this shaft within the housing. carries ai double gearV 37,having the toothed portions 38 and 38., the portion 38 meshing with andserving to drive a pinion 39 on 'one Vend of site end of this sha tbeing driven by the gear portion 38. All of the pinions just "mentionedare adapted to revolve with the possible to 'add other cylinders andother pistons to each cylinder by slightly changing the valve mechanismand cylinder heads to correspond. l

' .The casing members 1, 2, 3 and 4, at diametrically opposite points,in this case shown on the horizontal center line of the engine,

are Lyprovided with horizontally extended cylinder head seats 40 and 40which communicate by means of the passages 41 and 41 with the rotorpassages 21 in the inner casing members to permit the passage of thepiston yokes`98, as shown in Figs. 16, 17 and 18. The inner ends of thepockets 40 and 40 are slightly narrower than the outer, ends in .orderthat a bearing may be formed on each side to receive the cylinder headrods 42 and 42 which are attached to and serve to move the outer andlarger cylinder heads 43 and 43 horizontally across the opening of thecylinders. `The inner heads 46 and 46 also move across the cylinderopenings and are provided with rods 45 and 45 which have bearings in theinner walls of the pockets 41 and 41. It is preferable that the movementvof Vthe cylinder heads should be reduced to the minimum and for thisreason the inner members 46 and 46 are adapted to move outwardly theouter members 43 and 43 inwardly when the cylinders are closed, and inthe opposite directions, respectively,` when the cylinders' are opened.

Because of apparent interferences, the rod 42 of the. head member 43 1sconnected with the rod 45 0f the head member 46', and the rod 42 of thehead 43 is connected with the rod 45 of the head 46, respectively, bymeans of diagonal bars 47 and 47 The opposite ends 48 ofthe bar 47 areturned upwardly and are suitably attachedto the ends of the rods 42 and45', and the similar ends 48 of the bar 47 are turned downwardly and areattached to the rods 42 and 45, as described, the bars being thus madeto ,clear the drive shaft 36.` Springs 49 are placed on the rods 45 and45 and are adapted to compress between the walls of the ockets and theends 48 and 48 ofthe bars 4 and 47. A disk 49 Iis provided for each ofthe cylinders and suitably keyed to the drive shaft 36 for operating thecylinder heads twice in each revolution of the drive shaft and rotors,these elements being synchronous in operation. A pair of rollers 50is'provided at opposite points near the periphery of and at'- tached toythe disk 49 and each of the ba'rs 47 and 47 has a curved cam plate, asat 51 and 51', respectively," with a short vertical extension, as at 52and l52', the inner surfaces of which are adapted to be engaged atregular intervals in the operation of the cams by the rollers 50, asshown in Fig. 7. The opposite rollers 50 of. the cam disk simultaneouslyengage the vertical sectionsof the carnplates 51 and 51', and thisengagement is maintained for a sullicient time to insure the movement ofthe cylinder heads to' their fullest extent, the rollers then engagingthe curved portions of the plates and thus holding the heads immovablefor a period4 of time while compression is taking place in one of thecylinders and combustionand forward movement `of the pistons in thecombustion cylinders.

The headmembers 43 of one set and 46 of the other set being connectedand movable together, and the member 43 and 46 being similarly connectedand simultaneously movable, .it is obvious that with the cam arrangementshown and described, the4 ycylinders will be entirely opened and closedatregularintervals and the springs 49 and 49 Vserve to restore the headsto their normally opened relations.' The heads being thus normally open,the mechanism is insured against damagevin the event of the breakage ofthe connecting bars and operatin means.

provide a tongueand groove connection particularly in Figs. 8 and 9,tongues 53 being formed on oneof the members of each Vset andcorrespondlng grooves on the other or joint between the cylinder,headsasshown A members, Se that a eight joint-Winbe made.

when the heads are moved into closed relation. rlhe tongues and groovesare preferably"l tapered, as shown, and if desirable, the tongues may beresiliently mounted so as to overcome and compensate for any wearthereon when in constant use. ln thiscase the members 43 and 43 areprovided with recesses` 54 and 54', respectively, which receive thetonguese53, Vthese members are bored at one or more points, as at 55 andcounterbored at 56 and 57 ineach member to receive pins 58'which arereduced4 attheir .inner ends and adapted to be suitably screwed orotherwise secured tothe tongues. Springs`59 are carried by the pins andare compressible between the edges of the tongues 53 and the ends of theinner `coun terbores 57. lhe outer ends of the pins 58 l-have'enlargedheads 60 which seat in the outer counterbores 56.` lin assembling theseelements enough play should `be provided for in order that any wearofthe tongues or grooves 6'1 may be compensated for, and

in addition, a resiliency is provided when' the heads are engaged. f f

At diametrically opposite points in. the

casing and inthe vicinity ofthe cylindersl neurones openings 77- in thevalve head 78 into the chambers 63. in the member 3. Valve seats 7 9 areformed at the junctions of the chambers and the ports 74 to receive thevalves 76, and the valve stems 80 which carry the restoring springs 81are slidably mounted in the heads 78 at the jointl between thecasingmembers and 4 and the central disk therebetween. rllhis valve head i-sshown in -lFig. 14. @penings are formed around the valve stem bearings82 and the inner ends of the heads are adapted to be suitably secured inthe counterbored ends of the cham-. bers 75 while the opposite ends areextended and tapered and areinsertible through the disk 8 into themember 3 of the casing, suit-V able'packing 83 being provided for makingl`a gas tight joint at each place.

Spark plugs 84 are provided for each of the fuel intake chambers and atpoints slightly distant therefrom before the adpoints on the rotorsthese grooves 'are lledwith inserts 67, as shown in Fig. 10, which formslsegmental valve/ operating portions, the valve stems ridin in thebottoms oft-the grooves when the va ves are closed and on the enlargederipheral segments when they are opened.- Ralve seats 68 are formedbetween the chambers 62 and 63l of each set 'to receive the valves, andthe outer ends ofthe stems 65 are tslidablyheld in the closure heads 69vwhich are screwed into the outer wall of the casing. The,y valves areself restoring by meansof thesprings 70 carried on the stems 65 betweenthe valves andthe closure heads and compressible therebe- Y.

tween. lPorts70 connectthe intakechambers 62 with the'cylinders 9 foradmitting the as to the cylinders.

eans maybe provided Lon the, end'imemf ber 2 of the casing for attachinga carbu-V reter 71 and ther gas intake from". the carbu reter, asv at72, may be suitably connected to the member 2 at a point on the centerline,

hof the cylinder 10, which is the compression cylinder of the' engine.Communication is e adorded between the carbureter and the/cylinder 10 bymeans of the ihlet 73, through which the pistonsgwhen 1nn operation,draw vance of the pistons. llhe plugs are screwed into the cylinderwalls as usual and the innerA spark endsthereof terminate in relativelysmall chambers 85, as shown in Fig. 6. The exhaust chambers'86 areformed in the casing members 1 and 2 at points on the op-N posite sidesof theJ gas intake chambers from the spark plugs, so that the gasesremaining in the cylindersI just before an explosion takes place will bereleased prior to the opening of the cylinder heads. Ports 87 areformeel inV the walls of the cylinder). which communicate with thechambers 86 by means of the valve seats 88'in which are seated theexhaust valves 89. l rlhe chambers 86 have valve heads 90 securedtherein at 'the end to slidably holdthe valve stems 91 of the valves 89and openings are formed inbe'suitably attached to the casing 'at.pointsy opposite the chambers 86. The pressure .in

the cylinders caused by the advancev of the pistons forces the valvesopen and the gases,

are exhausted, 'and the springs 93 on the valve stems 91 serve to.restore the valves after each operation. All of the valvesl de# scribedin connection with my engine, it will be observed, -are of the puppetvariety and are thus dependable.- v

The pistons 94 are of sector and are provided with a pair or more ofvenlarged portion of the yokesbeng boredA formation rllhe pistons areattached to the lordinary piston vpacking rings 95 which are` out toreceive the 'reduced ends 99 of the pistons and suitably attachedthereto by means of screws 100 andthe flat portions 101 of the pistonsbeing attached tothe ro- -tor rims 22 by means of screws, in the mannershown, or in any other suitable manner. The pistons `are provided withseparable rings 102 which may be secured suitably to the pistons, sothat the yokes may be slipped on over the reduced ends thereof, therings being placed on the pistons after the yokes are in place. Theypacking rings at the re-l duced ends of the pistons are held on therings in such case, while the rings on` the opposite end are carried bythe pistons.

The water is supplied to the engine water jackets by means of the pump103 on the shaft 103 which is`supported revolubly in bearings 104 and104 on the end casing member 1 and is operated by means of a sprocket 36on the shaft 36 and a smaller sprocket 37 on Ithe shaft 103', thesprockets being connected by a chain 36a. The pump is connected with thewater chambers 11, 12 and 13 of the casing by means of the pipe 19 whichis attached to the inlet 19 on the casing and the pump inlet 19*L isadapted to be connected with a water tank, not shown.

The water is ,discharged from the casing,

after use, through the outlet 20 and the pipe 20 and is returned back tothe tank, as in the usual case.

In the form ofengine shown in the Figs.

v 19 to 39, it will be observed that three cylinders instead of two, asin the form just de-l K scribed, are

being the com ustion cylinders and the comypression cylinder 10 beingplaced between the cylinders 9 and serving to supply both of them withfuel gas in a compressed state.

, In this form of engine, an annular compression chamber 105'is formedon the central members of thecasing, andlthe gas, which 'isdrawn byvacuum means from the car- {15 bureter 71, through the gas 4intake pipe72, as shown in Figs. 19, 20 and 23, into the central cylinder 10, andis then compressed by the advance of the pistons andstored in thecompression chamber 105 by means of the exhaust ports 106, as shown inFig. 21. Valves 107 are providedin the compression chambers which areheld by spring tension normally closed and the pressure in the cylinder10 being greater than that in the chamber 105, the Yvalves are opened toadmlt a charge of gas each time a piston is advanced over the centerline, or twice ineach revolution of the rotor.

I The gas is .admitted from the chamber 105 to the cylinders 9 Athroughauxiliary chambers 108, shown in Fig. 21, which are pro-- vided withdouble puppet valves 109 with stems 110 extended through the inner wallsof the casing where they are provided with rollers 111 revolubly heldon.` members 112 provided, the end cylinders 9x and which are adapted tobe regularly operated by the cams 113 on the central shaft 114. Thisarrangement of valves serves to equalize the pressure on the valves, sothat when an explosion takes place in the cylinder 9, the pressureexerted on both of the valve members of the valve 109 will be equal andprevent the opening of the valve in such case. The valves and mountingstherefor are otherwise similar to those used in connection with theother form of engine previously described.

The exhaust valves for the cylinders 9 in this form of engine, thoughslightly different imposition and arrangement, are the 30 equivalent ofthose previously described," eX- cept that a chamber 115 is provided foreach valve which is formed on the exterior of the casing, and theexhaust pipes 116 are attached tothe walls of these chambers by g5'suitable clamps 117, or otherwise. The arrangement of the spark plugs inthis case is identical with that described in connection with the otherform.

Water jackets are provided between and around the cylinders, but thewater compartments in each of the casing members is separate andprovided with the individual inlets 118 which are connected with thewater supply pipe 119 leading from and connected 9,5` V

with the centrifugal pump 120; Separate outlets 121 for the water arealso provided at the top of the casing for each of the members thereof,which are attached to a discharge pipe 122 which may lead to a radiatoror other storage means, not shown. The casing members shown in this formare separated at'the center to permit the operation of the rotarycylinder heads which will be hereinafter described, and for this reasonpipes 123 are provided for connecting the upper and lower members at theends, while communicating openings 124 are provided for the centercasing members for the same reason. The openings 124 may be arranged andpacked against leakage in a manner similar'to the joints shown for thispurpose in the other form of engine.

As shown in Figs.,21 and 23, the cylinders 9 and 10 are arranged withtheir centers on an arc so that'if a disk were revolved horizontally apoint on the disk would cut the center of leach of the cylinders. Thusthe' I rotors 23, there being one for each of the cylinders, varyslightly in diameterfand peripheral speed. VThe rotors are howeverrotated at a uniform number of revolutions per minute. Each of therotors is provided with internal gear teeth, asin the other form, whichmesh with the thoroughly inlcased pinions 125 at; diametrically oppositepoints carried by the shafts 126 and 127 journaled in the extensions 128of the casvlng, the shaft 127 in this case being the driving shaft. Apinion 129 is provided on the 130 shaft127 which meshes with and drivesthe large gearl30 on the central shaft 114 which ',isjournaled insuitable bearings `in the ends of the casing. The speed of' the shaft114 is synchronous with that of the rotors so that the valve operatingcams 113 may be properly timed.

Atthe junctionof the upper and lower halves of the casing members, whichz are held together by means of bolts ,131, an annular channel 132 isformed to revolubly receive the annular rings 133 and 133, one of theserings being arranged above and in revoluble contact with the other ring.Segmental apertures 134 are formed in each of the rings atdiametricallyopposite points, the extent of which is suicient to permit themoyementof all of the pistons, which operi fate inline, therethrough.rlhese rings form the cylinder heads through which thepistons passwhen'the openings are in registration' with the cylinders, and whichserve to close vvthe cylinders when the pistons have passed.

-Bevel gear teeth 135 areformed on the upper and lower sides,respectively, of the upper and lower cylinder head rings which mesh withand are adapted to be driven by pinions 136 carried by the shafts 137which are supported revolubly in bearings 138 formed on thechannelwalls.v rThe shafts also carry spur gears 139 whichf mesh with and are fdriven by the relatively larger gears 140 on the shafts 126 and 127, theratio of the gears being such that the speed of the cylinder heads will.be substantially equal to that ofl the pistons. 1 provide the drivingmechanism for the cylinder heads on both ends of the engine in orderthat the same may be properly balanced. t

The rotatable cylinder heads are arranged, as shown in the diagrams` inFigs. 31, 32 and '33, so that the centra-l set of pistons may, ifdesirable, be operated slightly in advance of the pistons in-thecylinders 9 at the end. 1n this case the end ortions of the openings inthe rotating hea s will provide clearancefor the passage of the centralpistons, andas 'the opening becomes wider, as shown in Fig. 32, the enpistons ma pass" through, the

central set of pistons being inthe meantime gears justidescribed, whichare meshed with the hevelpinions 136 as in the other form.

A relatively smallerpinion 142 is provided and extends downwardly ini'ront of theV gear 145. "llhis arm has an elongated slot 150 which isstraightiat the 4ends and curved in the center to conform 'to a radialline concentric with the axis of the gear 145 when the arm is at eitherextreme of its movement. rlhis slot is engaged continuously by a roller-151 carried by the gear 145, which causes the arm to oscillatebackwardly and forwardly in front or the gear. 'llhe straight portionsof the slot, when engaged by the roller, serving to move 'thearm in'oneor the f other direction and the curved portions of the slot serving tomaintain the arm in its extended position fora period of time while therolleris moving therein.y

By the above actuating mechanism, the

lcylinder heads may be oscillated back and forth across the cylinderopenings to perinit the passage or @he pistons and to close thecylinders during compression and comeo f vbustion. 'llhe rings 133 and133 in this case f have circular `openings 153 for each cylinpoints topermit the passage of the piston yokeswhen the cylinders are open. Fis'. 38 and`39, show the relative ositions of t e ring openings when thecylin ers'are opened and closed. The pistons for use in the rotatable oroscillating heads are'slightly different from those used with thereciprocatin heads, as shown in Figs. 29 and 30, the

i der which are extended inwardly at radial 1 y0 es being secured to thepiston bodies at v both ends and the rings being placed between the yokerings.'

lin operation, the gas is supplied to the compression cylinder 10 fromthe carburetor 7l through 'the pipe 72 and the operation of thenpistonsin this cylinder 'serves to compress the gas between the pistons and theclosed cylinder heads. The compression exhaust valves being set with theproper tension, when the pressure in theJ` cylinder 10 reaches a'certain point these valves will open and admit a charge or gas in itscomi pressed state to the cylinders 9 in the form of engine rstdescribed, and in the last described orm, the gas will be admitted tothechamber 1Q5 at each operation vof the pistons.

rlhe gas is held ina compressed state in r thechamber 105 and isregularly discharged therefrom by means of the intake lvalves intol thecylinders 9, or in the other form, the gas maybe directly dischargedr.trom

the cylinder 10 to the cylinders 9, just' after.

on the shait 137 which meshes with and is the cylinder heads have beenmoved to com- 13o pletely close the combustion cylinders. The sparkplugs 84 may be so timed that explosions of the gas will take placeimmediately after the charge of gas into the cylinders 9, and thepistons will be moved forward in the cylinders until the force of theexplosions is expended.

The movement of the pistons in the cylinders 9, through the medium ofthe connections described also effects the simultaneous movement ofthose in the cylinders 10 which compress the gas, and the different setsof pistons may be so arranged relative to each other that thecompression of the gas will take place just prior to the charging of thecylinders in either of the forms of device described.

Through the geared connections described,

the rotors connected with the combustion cylinders and -pistons serve tooperate the pistons in the compression cylinder as well as the driveshaft which communicates the power to points external of the enginecasing, and as has been stated, the movement of the cylinder heads ofeither form is accomplished simultaneously with the movement of thepistons, so that all operating parts are synchronous and perfectly timedwith each other.

In order that the friction between the movable cylinder heads may bereduced to a minimum any suitable form of antifriction means may be usedsuch as rollers, or the like, but it is not deemed necessary that suchmeans be shown to properly illustrate my invention, these elements beinwell known expediente. Still other mo ifications and additions may beresorted to for improving the operation of the engine, as for instancethe casing of the engine being thoroughly inclosed and the majority ofthe operating parts being within the casing, the central chamber of thecasing in which the gears and other parts are placed, may be completelyfilled with lubricating oil for rendering the operation of the enginenoiseless and providing ample lubrication of the several elements.

The form of engine shown partakes of the general dimensions andcharacter of a common type of automobile engine or motor which may besuitably attached by means of the feet provided near the bottom to therunning gear vframe of the vehicle, as in the usual case, but it isobvious that the form of the casing may be changed so that the enginemay be used for stationary purposes and a substantial base may beprovided in such case.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination of an annular cylinder, means for alternately opening andclosing the bore of the cylinder, with a piston adapted to revolve inthe cylinder and borne upon a rotor revolving in an annular chamberconcentric and continuous with the cylinder and operatively connectedwith a driving shaft by means of a member rotatably seated in the casingof the chamber.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of an annularcylinder, means for alternately opening and closing the bore of thecylinder, with a piston adapted to revolve in the cylinder and borneupon a cogged rotor revolving in an annular chamber concentric andcontinuous with the cylinder and meshing with a pinion also internal andfixed upon a spindle journaled in the casing of the chamber and bearinglikewise a fixed pinion rotating externally to the chamber andoperatively connected with a driving shaft.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of an annularcylinder adapted to the compression of explosive gas, an annularcylinder adapted to receive and ex plode compressed gas, a connectingpassage for the flow of gas from the first named cylinder to the second,means for alternately opening and closing the bore of each cylinder,with pistons adapted to revolve in the cylinders and borne upon rotorsrevolving in annular chambers concentric and continuous with thecylinders and operatively connected with a driving shaft by means ofmembers rotatably seated in the casings of the chambers.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination of an annular cylinder adapted to the compression ofexplosive gas, an annular cylinder adapted to receive and explodecompressed gas, a connecting passage for the How of gas from the firstnamed cylinder to the second, means for alternately opening and closingthe bore of each cylinder, with pistons adapted torevolve in thecylinders and borne upon cogged rotors revolving in annular chambersconcentric and continuous With the cylinders and meshing .With pinionsalso internal and fixed upon spindles journaled in the casing of thechamber and bearing likewise fixed pinions rotating externally to thechambers and operatively connected with a driving shaft.

Signed at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, and State ofCalifornia, this 8th day of June 1916.

OSCAR C. BEARD.

Witnesses: i

GEO. E. MARLA'rr, LUTHER L. MACK.

